BETHEL – Sunny skies prevailed for the annual Fourth of July Community Picnic at the Bethel Historical Society’s Regional History Center.

Dr. Donald M. Christie Jr., who grew up on Main and Mason streets, was the featured speaker, recalling his memories of the Fourth in the 1950s. He quoted two accounts of the news of the Declaration of Independence as it reached Maine.

The Mundt Allen Post 81, American Legion, color guard presented the colors, followed by a two-hour concert by the Portland Brass Quintet. Area businesses and individuals sponsored the concert and a July 31 concert by the Yankee Brass Band.

Tax-deductible contributions for the July 31 event can still be made by sending them to the society at P.O. Box 12, Bethel, ME 04217-0012.

The Bethel Historical Society will open its latest exhibit, “Molly Ockett and Her World” on Saturday, July 17. Expected to run through December 2006, the exhibit makes use of photographs, artifacts, paintings and written text to tell the story of Molly Ockett and the world in which she lived from the time of her birth around 1740 until her death in 1816.

The exhibit has been installed in the Molly Ockett Room of the O’Neil Robinson House at 10 Broad St., where a plaque honoring the well-known Indian describes her as a “Pigwacket healer, artisan, hunter, story-teller and stalwart friend of the settlers of the region and this town.”

Funding for the “Molly Ockett and Her World” exhibit has been provided by the Molly Ockett Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, and the state organization, Daughters of the American Revolution.

The exhibit and others in the O’Neil Robinson House are open throughout the year from 10 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 1 to 4 p.m. on weekends during July, August and December.

Further information about the society and its activities may be obtained by calling 824-2908, 1-800-824-2910 or e-mailing info@bethelhistorical.org. Information can also be obtained by checking www.bethelhistorical.org. The mailing address is P.O. Box 12, Bethel, ME 04217-0012.